THERE is a beautiful train journey that claims to go to the “end of the world” and has some stunning views along the way.
Officially called El Tren del Fin de Mundo (The End of the World Train), the train is a historic steam railway that takes passengers on a journey through Tierra del Fuego National Park in Argentina.
In fact, the railway is considered the southernmost one in the world.
And the rather morbid name comes from the it’s original purpose as a prison train.
It was built back in the early 20th century and used to transport inmates to collect timber and a number of other building materials from the forest.
They would then take these materials to construct a prison and settlement.
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But by 1947 the railway closed as a result of the prison closing.
Then in 1994, a four mile section of the track was rebuilt and opened as a tourist attraction.
Today, visitors can now ride along the railway as a sightseeing experience of Patagonia, as well as learn about the history of the train line.
The ‘End of the World Station’ is located around five miles from Ushuaia, which is where the journey begins.
Then, on the journey, passengers can see the Pipo River, the Macarena Waterfall and the ‘tree cemetery’ – an area that features a number of the stumps that were left behind by the prison inmates.
When the train crosses the Pipo River, it goes over Puente Quemado (Burned Bridge), which features the wooden remains of the old bridge beneath the newer tracks.
It then stops at La Macarena Station, where passengers can get off the train to look at the cascading waterfall and learn about the local people called Yamana.
The train journey then ends at the National Park Station, where passengers can get off and venture into Tierra del Feugo National Park.
The park entrance fee is separate to the price of the train journey, and it costs around £20.11 to enter.
On board the train, there are a number of different classes, including ‘Tourist’.
In these carriages, there are comfortable seats and large windows and audio commentary is available in multiple languages for passengers to learn about the history of the region, as well as the train.
In Premium Service, passengers get priority boarding, heated cars, food and even exclusive train souvenirs.
Passengers in this class can also asked for a private tour of the railway workshops, where they will learn about the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the train running.
If on the train at 9:30am, there is a breakfast menu with bread, croissants, yoghurt and mixed nuts.
At midday and 3pm, there is a lunch menu with dishes including lamb casserole, chicken casserole, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, pizza and empanadas.
A children’s menu is also available.
For something really special, there is a VIP service as well, where passengers receive a three-course menu and an exclusive access experience.
One recent visitor said: “This was really cool, we’d seen some of the best scenery in the world and now we were riding a miniature train to the End of the World – and I lived to tell the tale!
“There was a stop at a pretty waterfall and some funny antics by the local convicts who clearly had been left behind by the penal colony.
“I thought this was a cool thing to do, really enjoyed it.”
Another added: “A magical experience like straight out of a Christmas story, we went [when] everything was snowy beautiful [and] met wild horses on the visit.
Tickets cost around £34.63 per adult and £17.32 per child between four and 12-years-old.
In other rail news, one of the UK’s most beautiful train journeys runs right across the beach and it costs less than £20.
Plus, these are 12 of Europe’s most beautiful train journeys are in Britain – with Victorian carriages and stargazing.